


you really got a hold on me

by outerloops



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 09:30:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8744959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outerloops/pseuds/outerloops
Summary: Yuuri stared out at the couples skating in wide, unsure circles around the small outdoor rink. He conceded that it was somewhat of a foreign scene for the two of them. Skaters with clumsy movements, stiff backs, bent elbows, and arms stretched outward to catch themselves if they stumbled. Yuuri could easily turn off the part of his brain that wanted to nitpick every graceless movement. But Victor...





	

Victor squinted down at the ice like it was something foreign. Yuuri's past experiences with this expression usually meant that Victor was trying to figure out why Yuuri was flubbing a jump. He turned to Yuuri with a serious expression.

“Are you sure you don't want to skate at the rink we've been training at?”

It was chilly, sure. The holidays were coming soon. Yuuri stared out at the couples skating in wide, unsure circles around the small outdoor rink. He conceded that it was somewhat of a foreign scene for the two of them. Skaters with clumsy movements, stiff backs, bent elbows, and arms stretched outward to catch themselves if they stumbled. Yuuri could easily turn off the part of his brain that wanted to nitpick every graceless movement. But Victor...

He shot a glance sideways and met Victor's eyes.

“It's a nice change of pace, don't you think?”

Victor blinked in surprise.

“Nobody here is going to land a quad Salchow, that's for sure. But look at their faces,” Yuuri went on. “They're all having fun.”

A pair of teenagers giggled as they skated by, holding on to each other for support.

Victor looked back at him and smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling-- just barely giving away his age and making Yuuri fall a little more in love with him.

“Okay, Yuuri. But we didn't even bring our skates!”

They had been out exploring the area after dinner that evening when they had happened across the small outdoor rink. The town they were staying in was small enough that Yuuri doubted anyone would recognize either of them without a camera crew following. That was another reason it appealed to him. It wasn't very often that Yuuri could have Victor to himself-- in public at least.

“You think everyone here owns a pair of skates?” Yuuri gently teased. Maybe in Russia they did.

“We can rent them when we buy our passes.” Yuuri nodded toward the small stand adjacent to the rink.

If Victor didn't look scandalized before, the mention of wearing rental skates definitely did the job. Yuuri laughed and touched his gloved hand to the top of Victor's head. He hoped he would never have to explain to anyone why that particular action had become so affectionate between them.

“Come on,” Yuuri said, pulling Victor forward by the hand. “Let's find out whether Victor Nikiforov is truly talented, or if he sold his soul for a pair of magic skates.”

The young woman running the stand reminded Yuuri a little of Yuuko, causing a small pang of homesickness in his chest. He smiled at her and told her his and Victor's sizes. They received their skates (well, Yuuri did, Victor sent his back three times until he was satisfied with their condition) and laced them up on the bench outside. They made their way down the soft artificial track to the entrance of the rink and stepped out on to the ice.

It did feel different, Yuuri admitted. The skates were a bit loose around his ankles and the ice felt a little choppier beneath his feet from the shuffling of inexperienced skaters. Definitely not what he'd want to feel if he was going to attempt a jump. Victor, at least, seemed to relax once out on the ice, his long legs pushing out behind him to catch up to Yuuri.

“Sure we're not going to suddenly put a skate through this ice?” Victor asked, turning backwards to face Yuuri as they skated.

“I'd be more worried about a toddler taking you out at the knees,” Yuuri laughed, Victor spinning back around to his side to heed his warning.

“Those god awful buckets are what's tearing up the ice,” Victor commented as one of the children skated by, pushing an upside-down bucket in front of him for support.

“They're learning,” Yuuri chided with a smile, reaching for Victor's hand.

“I never learned with a bucket,” Victor replied. The seriousness of his tone and the visual of a young Victor Nikiforov learning to skate so barbarically made Yuuri laugh.

They looped around the rink a few times at a relaxed pace, keeping with the flow of the other skaters. Yuuri had noticed a girl of about eleven skating in the center of the rink apart from the others. Her eyes were closed as she moved through a small step sequence with no hesitation. Yuuri nudged Victor who looked over to watch as well. She went around and around in tiny figure eights at center ice, finally extending her leg back parallel to her leading skate and bending her back just slightly backward.

“Ina Bauer,” Yuuri whispered, grabbing Victor's arm.

“I see it,” Victor laughed fondly, squeezing Yuuri's hand.

The girl's skate slipped out from under her and she quickly threw a hand out to catch herself. It was a graceful fall, but she still looked disappointed as she finally opened her eyes. Victor let go of Yuuri's hand and skated toward the girl, Yuuri too surprised by the sudden action to even ask what he was doing. He kept following the steady flow of skaters around the rink, not wanting to cut any one off. Victor skated over to where the girl knelt on the ice and extended his hand to her. He said something Yuuri couldn't hear and the girl smiled, taking his hand as he pulled her to her feet. Victor was still talking, pointing at her feet as he did. The girl nodded seriously, listening raptly to Victor's words. Yuuri had the sudden feeling of deja vu, although the perspective was quite different.

Victor smiled at the girl and extended his hand to her once more. She took it and Yuuri watched as Victor pushed off backwards, pulling her with him. She seemed to follow his lead as he led them around the ice, gaining speed. After a moment, Victor nodded to her and the girl again bent her leading leg, positioning her weight perfectly over her knee and ankle. She extended her other leg behind her in a perfectly straight line, arching her back. This time, with Victor providing the counterbalance to the move, she was able to pull off a delicate layback position. It was undeniably beautiful.

“Amazing!” Yuuri could hear Victor say as the girl pulled back up and he released his hold.

Another wave of deja vu, although still the wrong perspective, Yuuri thought, his cheeks pink.

The girl did a little hop on the ice, a grin splitting her face as she beamed at Victor. Yuuri could hear her thanking him over and over, Victor of course brushing it off and telling her to keep practicing. After a moment he returned to Yuuri's side, taking his hand again like it was nothing.

“I didn't think pairs skating was your area, Victor,” Yuuri teased.

“I remember a time not long ago when you would have never dreamed of making fun of me,” Victor said with a smile, looking ahead.

“You're right, I would have swooned,” Yuuri conceded. “I think I just got better at hiding it.”

“Or maybe this time it's jealousy,” Victor suggested mildly, still not looking at Yuuri.

“Victor!” Yuuri tried to pull his hand away but Victor only laughed, pulling him closer against his body. He wrapped his arm around Yuuri's shoulders and Yuuri relaxed into his touch.

“She probably doesn't even know who you are,” Yuuri said after a moment.

“That's not a bad thing,” Victor responded. “Although she may be in for a surprise if she ever decides to skate competitively.”

Yuuri huffed a laugh in agreement.

They stayed like that for a while, skating in languid circles over and over again. Most of the other skaters had left as the evening got chillier. Yuuri nestled into his scarf and felt Victor lean down to place a kiss against his hair. Yuuri looked up to see Victor smiling at him. He tugged on Yuuri's hand, pulling him to the center of the rink. Yuuri slid his arms around Victor's neck, Victor's hands falling naturally to hold Yuuri's waist. Victor started turning them together in small circles, Yuuri easily following his movements.

“Since you mentioned it, that is something that would really surprise the world,” Victor murmured near Yuuri's ear.

“Pairs skating,” he said in response to Yuuri's questioning look.

He grabbed one of Yuuri's hands and pushed off before he could respond, Yuuri reflexively following his movements to keep from falling over. After crossing the ice, Victor turned on his heel sharply, ice kicking up from his skate as he stopped. Yuuri tried to resist the movement to avoid crashing right into Victor, but Victor wouldn't let go of his hand. Instead he spun Yuuri's hand, his body following suit, and caught him in a perfect dip inches before Yuuri's head touched the ice.

Yuuri laughed out a shaky breath as Victor placed a kiss on his exposed neck, hauling him back up to a standing position.

“I don't think the world could handle that,” Yuuri laughed, hands holding tight to Victor's shoulders as the vertigo subsided.

“Actually, I don't think my back could either,” Victor said, pulling an exaggerated face as his hand went to his lower back.

“Old man,” Yuuri teased. “Your real partner would be much lighter than I am, anyway.”

“I wouldn't want to skate with anyone but you,” Victor said honestly.

Yuuri felt his face heat.

“Then you might have to rewrite several decades of figure skating rules to get away with that.”

“You're a better skater than any woman out there,” Victor said, his honesty making Yuuri turn pink again. “It's the world's loss.”

Yuuri realized they were the only ones on the ice now.

“It's getting late.”

“It is.”

“We should start walking back to the hotel soon.”

“Okay.”

Neither one of them moved. Victor pulled Yuuri's gloved hands to his face and pressed a kiss against them.

“I love you, Yuuri,” he said. “Thanks for taking me here.”

A number of things crossed Yuuri's mind to say back. _Thank you for coming to be my coach. Thank you for convincing me I could still skate. Thank you for helping me get my life back._ Only one thing seemed worth saying.

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> outerloops.tumblr.com


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